Three Records… September 2026

A handful of records I mastered each month, the ones that stuck with me. Some for the songs, some for the people behind them, some just because the mix hit right.

Black Duck - Black Duck with Elena Setién (Thrill Jockey Records)

Black Duck's Douglas McCombs (also of Tortoise), Bill MacKay, and Charles Rumback brought in Basque musician Elena Setién for this self-titled collaboration, born out of a run of shared shows in Spain and captured in Chicago after only a few hours of rehearsal. The whole record runs on that spontaneity, so my job was keeping the improvised dynamics honest without losing the flow, staying fluid track to track instead of four separate takes bolted together. Recorded and mixed by Nick Broste. Lacquer cut by Rashad Becker. Out now on Thrill Jockey.

Salaryman - A Hard Drive's Gonna Fail (Lotuspool Records)

Salaryman is the instrumental synth project from Poster Children's Rick Valentin, Rose Marshack, Jim Valentin, and Howie Kantoff, a band that's traded guitars for synths since 1996. This is their first record in over two decades, built on a stack of vintage analog synths that brought a lot of low end to sort through, so the work was keeping everything down there defined instead of one indistinct mass. Lacquer cut by Jeff Powell. Out now on Lotuspool Records.

Cherub Tree - Death Wish (self-released)

Washington D.C.'s Cherub Tree, Brenna Lea, Ryan Shakeri, Naomi Kei, and Sam Elliott, built their name on Riot Grrrl, 90s grunge, and punk influences, a sound The Washington City Paper dubbed "Bubblegum Grunge." Death Wish, their debut, was recorded at 38 North Studio and produced by Reese Clutter. The goal was keeping it loud and in your face without losing the grit, competitive levels that still hit hard on the snare and vocals. Out now, self-released.